suncream dilema-please help i'm so confused!!!!

[happyathome]

My 5 yr old has fair,skin,blue eyes,blonde
hair and developed medium sunburn on a day in May
once,so i fear she may burn easily.
I watch the uv index on the web and if index
3 plus,i put factor 50 suncream on her before i send her to school(same at weekends!).
Absolutely PARANOID though that
1.she won't make enough vitamin d(looked at
vit d sites,but still confused
2.that i'm the only parent that puts suncream on so often-even cloudy/rainy dayssometimes.
sure other parents don't faff so much-mum keeps saying they didn't even have suncream on in olden days at all.
Don't give her vit d supplements as i fear she may have 'too much' then(although her diet doesn't seem to have too much!!).

What do you all do regarding suncream?!-please please reply,as i'm too embarassed to ask parents i know at school...don't want them to think i'm obsessed,even though i am.'Proffessional info is just too confusing and scaremongering don't you think?
Do you use vitamin d supplements?.Health visitor gave me conflicting advice as well!
Thanks so much.I'm in the north west of England by the way-guess it will affect answers.Been sending a hat to school for weeks too,and DD never wears it,or others,teacher only just appealed to parents yesterday for hats,i felt should have been used ages ago!
PLEASE SAY IT'S NOT JUST ME WORRYING!
happyathome

You are not alone in worrying - my 10 month old dd has had a shad-a-babe sun 'tent' over her buggy since Easter. I've now discovered I can rig it up as an in-car sun tent too - that's my real paranoia, is getting burnt through the car window, because she can't move out of the way when strapped in her car seat. She doesn't have sunscreen on for our first walk of the day, usually around 8am, and I do make sure she gets some outdoor time in the evening without sunscreen. Both my dh and I have fair skin that burns easily, so I'm playing safe and assuming dd will be the same. My skin is completely wrecked from too much sun in my teens/20's so that makes me doubly paranoid.

Years ago, folk weren't so aware of the dangers of too much sun, and also there were no holes in the ozone layer. Also, I suspect folk generally wore more clothes, and up until the 60's most people wore hats pretty much every time they went outside. As long as your dd gets a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, I wouldn't worry too much about vitamin deficiencies, but I suppose there would be no harm in giving her a kids multivitamin supplement if you really are concerned.

Thanks Roskva for your reassuring reply.I was like that when DD was same age.Had a blanket right over the pram hood to shade her.On long journeys,i blu-tacked cardboard to the window next to her in the car.
Thanks for your support.At least we'll have
children with healthy skin eh?!.
happyathome

You can't burn through a car window, the glass filters out the wavelength of light that causes burning. You can overheat, though.

Sorry but you can burn through a car window. My right arm is testament to that.
Ouch.

not just me making it up

My father is a well known scientist who works on the causes of cancer. When I lived in the uk he was fairly adamant that I NOT put sunscreen on my two for a normal (go to school) day because they needed the vit D. (My dd is very fairskinned). He also insists that we all take multi vitamin supplements.
I think that suncream if you are in the park for many many hours on a very sunny day would be appropriate. And for sure not on a rainy day when she's at school. And then for the occasions in between, make a judgement if she is going to be exposed to enough sun for long enough to get burned then use sun cream, otherwise not.

According to some research (reported in the New scientist) the most effective way to get your vitamin D production was to spend 10 mins (no more) in the sun at mid-day. Apparently this is when you get the highest proportion of the UV wavelengths that you use for Vit D production.

DS is very fair and I usually make him wear his sunhat during the day and have a long sleeved something on rather than suncream. Apparently some of the chemicals used in most sun creams can act in an oestrogen-like way (in huge doses ,in mice..... so not necessarily a reason to panic). Obviously if at beach, he wears sun-cream like everyone else.

I think there has been concern that some people don't get enough exposure to the sun to make vitamin D. But it's very much specific groups eg veiled women or housebound people.

LR did you read all that article? There were two arguments, for and against. And my arm didn't burn itself. I'm not making it up either. And the car is fairly new with fairly modern glass, before you ask.

I always thought you couldn't get burnt behind glass either but I know you can. I do not get burnt to the same extent as outdoor sun exposure but I do get burnt. I put sun shade in the car for the childrens comfort not to stop them burning.

As for suncream I don't out it on particularly much on cloudy overcast days, I know that you can still get the sun but for the length of time we are usually out or where we are it isn't worth it. On more sunny days I do though even though people say oh the sun isn't hot enough yeah it is it is just a bit breezy which can be more dangerous as you don't feel your sking heating up. I only use hats on particularly sunny days as well. I would probably put suncream on for school on particularly sunny days as they are outside for an hour at lunchtime but on just average sunny days probably not.

Thanks all, for taking the time for passing on your wisdom.
I have spent many hours researching sites on vit d and the sun.Heard too about the 10 min thing.Only problem is that DD has bare arms,legs,neck,ears at dinner and play times and school suggested putting suncream on her before school in a morning.The other research said 10 min 2-3 times a week.My latest attitude has been to let her be outside for 10-15 minutes in midday sun at weekends or wash cream off after school and let her play outside creamless.
Farking British weather is so changeable/unpredictable-raining in the morning,scorching dessert midday.
Have to put cream on before school,as they're not allowed it at school and anyway,i can't be there to see what the weather does and put it on her at dinner.
Some scientists say vit d still gets made despite suncream,others disagree....ffs scientists,please stop confusing us,until you are absolutely sure!(no disrespect to your dad-sure he's an excellent scientist and they're all doing their best for us)
What gets me is that we don't know how long it would take for her to be in the sun before she burned-and i don't obviously want to experiment to find out-one site did say that a fair skinned person could burn in half an hour with a sun index of 7.The sun index 5 and above is an indication to use suncream and keep out of the sun 11-3.Below 5
is not to use cream but be careful-how careful?,how long is too long?-that's what baffles me.The bbc weather website shows a
black cloud with rain and a sun index of 5 sometimes-can anyone explain that?.
Anyway, do you forego cream and your kids come home un-burned(especially on days forcasted to be index 5 or above)-loads of
testaments to this would ease my mind.
Wish a scientist could test the sun effects and say with the whole research campaigns behind them-don't put cream on your kids for school,you are wasting your time and they will get RICKETS!!
I will check for any messages tommorow.Thanks very much.
happyathome

my apologies for using 'farking' and ffs.I don't even swear in real life.I've bad pmt today-maybe that's why...please don't take offence.Nothing personal to anyone at all.Very grateful for all the scientific work that goes on really-where would we be without them?!.
Like i say,very pleased with all the support i've recieved with this topic

Why don't you just put a lower factor on for everyday? Factor 30 or thereabouts? My children have red hair and I use this. I put it on at the beginning of the day, and just use factor 50 stick on one son's face under the`eyes where I know he's particularly susceptible.I usually put it on everyday in the summer before school unless it's chucking it down.

They don't burn, as they're only out for a shortish period of time each day - playtime and lunch.I am pretty good about applying it regularly, and I have never had them burned, although they are pretty freckly.If it's not a complete block, I would think vit d could still be synthesised? Also, isn't vit D in other foods- eggs and margarine? (Am I imagining this?)It isn't really something I've worried about, and they're all perfectly healthy. If they are at the beach I just limit the amount they're in the sun and reapply the cream frequently.We`also don't go anywhere hot on holiday as I don't think they have the colouring to stand it!

Try not to worry too much - it's very unlikely I would think that she will be vit D deficient unless you cover her up completely at all times.I think it's fine to err on the side of caution with suncream - sunburn in a child can be very nasty.

Just to add to the arguments. We live in Colorado at high altitude where it's recommended to put on a high factor sunscreen everyday even cloudy ones. Dr's here are recommending that shade during the day is now preferable to sun protection and in reality you now need to check for sunscreen that provides both UVA and UVB rays. The ones you need to avoid are the ones with parabens in as parabens are carcinogenic.

I pride myself that I'm complicated on my two "pale little boys" all summer long. They're not that white, but compared to many of their friends they are and we hide from the midday sun too.

I agree with those of you who have burnt through car windows - I have too. And I will never again wear shorts on a sunny day in the front passenger seat of a people carrier. I try to use plant based sunscreen rather than mineral ones (I like the Lavera one, and the Dr Hauschka one is quite nice).

thanks so much everyone .Feeling a bit better now about it.
littleshebear-you said just what i wanted to hear really.Very comforting words!Glad it's not just me who puts it on nearly everyday!
alipiggie-thanks for the support too.Didn't know about parabens,so thanks for that one!.
My DD also the palest at school i think,some of her friends have a right tan!,but then again they have green or brown eyes or 'darker' featured(hair tanned parents e.t.c).I wonder if their skin is already 'damaged' then as suncare sites state
that any form of tan is just skin damage!-read the CancerResearch uk site last night(sunsmart section) and it had alsorts of useful info on burn risk,school policies e.t.c.I reccomend reading it to anyone.(oh yes,also mentions that you can burn through glass unless the glass is specially treated.)
keep posting please everyone.I'd love to here
more opinions on the matter.I'm an info-a-holic